Now's not the time to nit-pick

CORPUS CHRISTI - Here’s a tip for those developers who showed up at City Hall last week with the idea of actually investing their money here: Stay away from the words “Ferris wheel.”

And while they at it, they shouldn’t let the phrase “pedestrian-only beach” cross their lips either. And should they find themselves thinking that “land mass” is a good description of what they have in mind, they should just toss it just as fast as they can say “Memorial Coliseum.”

These are all words or phrase connected to development ideas that didn’t go anywhere in Corpus Christi. Those dead-on-arrival projects are why Corpus Christi earned the label as the city where good ideas go to die. Yes, we’re No. 1 when it comes to shoving money back into other people’s pockets even as they are trying their level best to leave a few bucks in our mitts.

We all remember the Landry’s proposal to make the T-heads an entertainment center. Landry’s, the Houston-based restaurant chain, wanted to fill the city marina T-heads with retail shops, restaurants and, yes, a Ferris wheel.

That Ferris wheel became the focal point for rowdy opposition and Landry’s eventually withdrew.

And it was a Ferris wheel that was basically the undoing of another development proposal, this one to use the Memorial Coliseum property as the site for a fairgrounds-type entertainment center. That one croaked, too, in the face of opposition.

And of course, don’t forget the public melee over that Padre Island resort development that was to be a world-class tourist destination. The reason we’re not enjoying the benefits of that resort now is because of the defeat of a pedestrian-only beach idea.

Our history of trashing development ideas goes back a long way. Maybe it started with the defeat in 1986 of a festival-market proposal that was to be built on a new landmass in Corpus Christi Bay. When it comes to investors who want to develop big ideas that might benefit the city, most cities would ask, “When can you start?” But in Corpus Christi, it’s “What do they have up their sleeve?”

Maybe that’s why representatives of Wallace Bajjali Development Partners and Innovative Leisure Partners were surprised when they showed up at City Hall a few weeks ago and didn’t feel the love.

The developers have ideas of using land owned by the city and the port near Whataburger Field and the American Bank Center and turning it into an entertainment center and mixed-use development.

Just what would turn up isn’t firm yet, but, trust me, it would mean the investment of a heck of a lot of money. And, from the sounds of it, the development would further define that area as the place where Corpus Christi goes to have a good time. But the developers said they found City Hall uncooperative.

That’s why on Tuesday City Council members fell all over themselves trying to put down the welcome mat. Council members tried to top each other to make the point that, yes, we want your money if there’s any possible way we make this thing work. “Hang in there with us,” Nelda Martinez said. “We’re delighted that you are all here,” Mark Scott said. “We need to make sure this plan happens,” Kevin Kieschnick said.

Present in the audience to further make the point were leaders from the chamber of commerce, the local economic development agency, the tourist bureau and the local tourist attractions. The council did everything possible to show a warm reception to the developers, but kill the fatted calf.

And it’s good that they did. The city’s reputation as a place where investors are treated the same way that those club-wielding hunters treat baby seals has to be dispelled. One sure way would be to hit a development home run. I don’t know if the ideas that these developers have will work, but their track record they revived downtown Waco and Sugar Land — makes their ideas promising. But those ideas sure won’t work if we nitpick them to death. We have a real talent for getting lost in the weeds — Ferris wheels, and such — and forgetting the big picture.

The big picture is that Corpus Christi needs major investment. We need a kick in the pants to get the economy moving. More economic opportunity means local young people at least get a choice of whether to stay or leave. More smart young people might come here to start a life, making the city a more vital and engaging place. So, yes, make the out-of-towners feel welcome. Where’s a fatted calf when you need one?

Nick Jimenez is the editorial page editor emeritus of the Caller-Times.